1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a technique for producing high purity SiOx nanoparticles and, more particularly, to a method of producing high purity SiOx nanoparticles with excellent volatility and an apparatus for producing the same, which enables mass production of SiOx nanoparticles by melting a silicon raw material through induction heating and injecting gas to a surface of the molten silicon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a carbon electrode is used as an anode for lithium ion batteries. Carbon electrodes are advantageous in terms of high charge and discharge efficiency. However, the carbon electrode has limitation in application to an anode for next generation lithium ion batteries on account of a low theoretical capacity of 375 mAh/g.
Although silicon Si used as an anode material for lithium ion batteries has a high theoretical capacity of about 4200 mAh/g, Li4.4Si is formed by reaction between Li4.4 and Si during charging of the lithium ion battery, thereby causing high volume expansion up to about 400%. Such high volume expansion induces cracking or short circuit of the anode of the lithium ion battery made of silicon.
On the other hand, although silicon Si is known as undergoing reduction in stress caused by volume expansion when the particle size of silicon varies from a micrometer scale (μm) to a nanoscale (nm), nanoscale silicon particles also provide a problem of cracking or short circuit of the anode due to volume expansion.